Epoxy Escapades

Have you played the “never have I ever” game? If you have kids or if you’ve even been around kids, you may have been exposed to this claw your eyes out because it lasts so long, game! Lol. With that said, NEVER HAVE I EVER done an epoxy application. On top of that, I chose to do my bathroom countertop that has an integrated backsplash. <insert gasp here> along with me repeating… NEVER HAVE I EVER!

Epoxy Time

I’ve been building this whole epoxy situation up in my mind -probably not the best thing to do when nervous about the whole thing… am I right?!? As mentioned in my Week 6 One Room Challenge post, I took the leap when I saw a coupon for Total Boat epoxy. I’m winging much of what I’m doing, hence the whole DI-trY mantra. So… Let’s Get It Started!

First up, I needed to prep my bathroom countertop which involved sanding with a 220 grit sand paper. Side note: wear protective gear when sanding and most certainly when doing epoxy. Okay, back to the doing…

After sanding, I used a tack cloth to wipe all the sanding dust away. Thereafter, I used TSP to wipe away any remnants the tack cloth didn’t catch. Thankfully, I kept my daughter’s old burping cloths for this task (mind you she’s 13 years old now so really I was just holding on, which finally came in handy). You probably could use a little Dawn dish detergent with some warm water if you’re not wanting to use TSP.

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On to the next…

Now, on to the next part of the project. After sanding and wiping down, I mixed the first coat of epoxy according the Total Boat directions. Moment of Transparency: I looked up several paint mixing videos simply to learn how to read the mixing measuring cup. I almost was ashamed to admit this, but I recognize not everyone knows what they don’t know – and that’s okay! Now, I know how to mix a 1:1 ratio of epoxy.

With my epoxy mixed, it’s time for at least adding the first coat. I poured and smoothed my mixture over the countertop with one of the included spreaders. I thought using a foam roller would help this process, but I feel like it made it a bit more messy. As the epoxy thickens with time, I found rolling became more of a chore and less helpful for a quicker execution. This is where I get even more shaky in this epoxy decision. This first coat is not giving what I think it should be giving me.

I used the heating gun that was included in the epoxy kit; unfortunately, that didn’t show improvement. BUT…this is just the first coat. I let it dry because it was getting late and you know… ya girl still works a full time 9 to 5, so I needed my rest. The following day proved that I wish I wouldn’t have pushed myself so hard because mistakes were made. I didn’t remove the painter’s tape and some of it set into the epoxy. Good grief! Sometimes, I get on my own nerves, creating more work for myself.

Fast forward to a sand with 120 grit sandpaper, followed by an isopropyl alcohol wipe down, and I am back on the epoxy road.

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Motivational Moment

For the record, I didn’t know (and still don’t know) all of this epoxy, sanding, isopropyl wipe down stuff off the top of my head. I read the directions. However, I recognize that in DIY-ing sometimes it appears everyone just knows how to do. For the most part, they’ve done some research and read the directions, which means YOU CAN DO THIS TOO! Now let me get back to it.

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The next applications

The next applications were mixed in like manner as the first, except this is where I’ve added some character to the initial coat aka covered up some of those “ewwww, why does it look like this” moments. Here’s another moment of transparency. I still don’t like it! I know you’re probably more accustomed to reading those blog posts where everything comes out gum drops and lollipops. This one ain’t it my friend! I am NOT feeling it and I want to totally rip the entire vanity out!

This is most certainly a part of the DI•trY where I admit it doesn’t always work out the way I’ve pictured the first go round. Even with all the research and prepping done, it doesn’t always work out. Hopefully, by the time Week 8/ Reveal Day comes, this whole bathroom would have come together far better than this Week 7. The most pleasant thing to occur was the plumber fixing what I thought was a huge issue, but turned out it wasn’t. Ya girl will most certainly need a miracle for this bathroom to make a favorable turn around. Send positivity my way because it’s now down to the wire for myself and many other ORC guest participants who can check out at
www.oneroomchallenge.com/orc-blog

Ya girl, Kim!